Graphene-based material ‘could revolutionise electronics industry’

Scientists at CSIRO and RMIT University have developed a highly conductive nanomaterial from sheets of graphene, which they claim could revolutionise the electronics industry.

The 11nm thick material is made up of layers of crystal known as molybdenum oxides, and an adapted form of graphene. It is said to have unique properties that encourage the free flow of electrons at ultra high speeds.

"Within these layers, electrons are able to zip through at high speeds with minimal scattering," said CSIRO's Dr Serge Zhuiykov. "The importance of our breakthrough is how quickly and fluently electrons are able to flow through the new material."

According to Zhuiykov, the researchers were able to remove road blocks that could obstruct the electrons, which meant they could simply pass through the material and get through the structure faster.

He continued: "Quite simply, if electrons can pass through a structure quicker, we can build devices that are smaller and transfer data at much higher speeds."

"While more work needs to be done before we can develop actual gadgets using this new 2D nanomaterial, this breakthrough lays the foundation for a new electronics revolution and we look forward to exploring its potential."